We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 1109 Personally Entering Enemy Rear

In less than a quarter of an hour, the Tibetan soldiers were either killed or fled and hid, and the situation had become chaotic.

The grain and supplies were all engulfed in flames, burning fiercely.

Ma Zhong reined in his warhorse and surveyed the wrecked Chiling Fortress.

The Tibetans had no idea they would be attacked, so they didn't put up any decent resistance whatsoever.

Unfortunately, the group of men led by Ma Zhong was not entirely composed of his own troops.

To ensure combat effectiveness, Li Che dispersed his true elite troops into various teams, including Ma Zhong's men.

Now, Ma Zhong only has a small portion of his own troops under his command; the rest are new recruits from the Shu army and veterans from the Northwest Army.

The uneven individual skill levels of the soldiers resulted in more than ten casualties despite it being a surprise attack.

The veteran soldiers of the Northwest Army, their eyes bloodshot as they stormed into the fortress, hacked and slashed at the fleeing Tibetan soldiers, continuing their pursuit even after the battle ended.

"That's enough, don't pursue a cornered enemy!" Ma Zhong hurriedly shouted the order.

The grudges of more than a decade are not so easily quelled. Even though Ma Zhong had given the order, the veterans pretended not to hear it and relentlessly pursued and killed the fleeing soldiers.

Ma Zhong had no choice but to take the flintlock pistol from his personal guard and fire a shot at the heads of the veterans, which finally woke them up.

Seeing that the general was angry, they stood frozen, not daring to look Ma Zhong in the eye.

"In war, obedience to orders is paramount!" Ma Zhong rebuked coldly. "Although I am temporarily in command, I am still your general. How dare you disobey my orders?!"

The veterans knew they had committed a grave offense in the army, and immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

Ma Zhong's tone softened slightly: "Considering this is the first offense, I'll let it slide for now, but if there's a second offense, I'll be executed without mercy!"

The veterans all breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the general had spared their lives, and were filled with gratitude.

Ma Zhongze looked at Duan Rui beside him and said, "Take away the wounded and the fallen brothers, and we will continue to advance according to the established route!"

Duan Rui reminded him, "My lord, have you forgotten His Majesty's instructions?"

Ma Zhong slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing, "I deserve to die! I completely forgot about His Majesty."

He then ordered the soldiers, "Quickly, check if any of the Tibetan soldiers around us still have any intact clothes, and strip them off for me!"

The soldiers roared in response: "Yes, sir!"

After cleaning up the battlefield, a quarter of an hour had passed since the surprise attack.

Duan Rui felt a growing tightness in his chest and couldn't help but say, "General, we should leave. The fire is getting bigger and bigger, and the other Tibetans are probably already heading this way."

Ma Zhong always trusted Duan Rui's intuition and immediately ordered the entire army to retreat.

The Qing army cavalry, as swiftly as they had come, roared out of the still-burning fortress gate and sped westward toward the heart of the Tibetan territory, quickly disappearing into the shadows of the mountains.

. . . . . .

The firelight from Chiling Fort illuminated half the sky, and thick smoke stretched into the night sky like a hideous ghostly claw.

No sooner had Ma Zhong left than a Tibetan reinforcement force of about two thousand men arrived in a hurry.

They reined in their horses outside the fortress, only to see crackling, burning ruins and charred remnants of grain stacks.

Tibetan soldiers lay scattered on the ground in various gruesome ways, the stench of blood mixed with the smell of burning flesh filling the air.

Dorjee's face was gloomy, as if it could drip water.

He stared intently at the yak tail banner at the fort gate, half of which had been burned, his teeth clenched and his eyes bloodshot.

"How many times the hell is this?" His voice was hoarse, like the grinding of sand.

The adjutant beside him was sweating profusely, not daring to look him in the eye, and stammered, "Reporting to the general... Counting the news we received during the day, this is the fifth attack by the Qing army today, and the third military town to be attacked."

"Useless! A bunch of idiots!" Dorje roared in fury, whipping his horsewhip across the lieutenant's face.

The whip tip bore bloody marks, but the surrounding soldiers stood like statues, unable to look directly at it.

The cultures of Tibet and Daqing are different; Confucianism did not flourish there, but slavery customs have been around for a long time.

The commander-in-chief has absolute power of life and death over his subordinates; even if they have not made any mistakes, he can execute them at will.

"What are scouts for?! What are sentries for?!"

"The Qing people have made such a large-scale operation, infiltrating our territory in batches and attacking three fortresses in succession!"

"You...you didn't give any warning?!"

The lieutenant dared not dodge, enduring several lashes before finally managing to say in a pained voice:

"General, please calm down. The Qing people's actions this time are completely different from the past. They do not take the main roads or attack fortified cities. Instead, they choose remote routes to attack our rear, where our forces are weak."

"And they move extremely fast, striking and leaving without lingering."

"Most of our scouts are still keeping an eye on their forward passes; we never expected they would dare to be so bold as to sneak in..."

"Rebellion! Rebellion against the Heavenly Gang!" Dorje's chest heaved violently, his eyes burning with rage.

"It has always been the brave warriors of Tibet who have taken the grain and people from the Qing people. When did it become the turn of these weak Qing people to stab us in the back of our own homes?!"

He turned his horse around, facing the restless army behind him, and roared, "Did you all hear that?! The Qing people have gone mad, daring to raid our territory! This is an utter disgrace!"

"If I don't tear them to pieces, how can I have the face to stand on this plateau?!"

He pointed his whip in the direction where Chiling Fort was still emitting smoke, then sharply slashed it northeast and southeast: "Order all battalions to send everyone out! Search the mountains! Pursue and annihilate them!"

"Make sure to find all the Qing people who sneaked in, cut off their heads, and build a mound of skulls!"

"Let them know what happens when they trespass on a lion's territory!"

"Roar--"

The Tibetan army erupted in a cacophony of shouts.

Dorjee's expression softened slightly, but the gloom in his eyes deepened.

He instinctively sensed something was wrong; Qingjun's fighting style this time was too unpredictable, completely unlike the style he was familiar with.

This tactic of targeting weaknesses requires immense courage and meticulous coordination, and it also implies that the opposing coach's intentions are far more than just harassment.

Who is it? Who is the opposing commander?

It couldn't possibly be Ma Jing; that commander was a weak-willed man who couldn't come up with such a bold plan.

Could it be that the Emperor of Daqing has sent a new general?

I have heard that the young emperor displayed remarkable abilities when he was still a prince.

No matter who you are, there is only one thing you need to do.

"Go all out and wipe them out!"

He repeated his command in a low voice, but inexplicably felt a chill.

Are these Qing troops who have infiltrated really just lambs to the slaughter?

He was unaware that the fireworks at Chiling Fort were merely a signal.

Like Ma Zhong, there are far more than just two or three Qing armies that have crossed the border and ventured into the eastern hinterland of Tibet.

. . . . . .

Let's rewind to a few days ago.

At the Lanzhou military camp, below the command platform.

A cold wind swept across the training ground, causing the flags to flutter and rustle.

Below the stage, hundreds of carefully selected officers stood proudly, while further away were the elite troops of each battalion that had already been organized.

Their armor was impeccable, their weapons gleaming, and their eyes gleamed with a long-suppressed fighting spirit.

Li Che stood on the stage, his gaze slowly sweeping over the group of military officers below: Yue Yun, Ma Zhong, Luo Yueniang, Yu Daliang, and Xiong Tai.

These people are the main force in this battle.

There were former generals and newly joined fierce generals, but the only thing that remained unchanged was the black and red Qing character military flag, which stood straight in the wind.

A long-lost aura of iron and blood swept over him, causing Li Che's heart to beat slightly faster.

He couldn't help but recall the years he spent riding into battle on the snowy plains beyond the Great Wall.

The passion that had been worn down by the complexities of government affairs was now surging through his veins once more.

Sure enough, I was born for the battlefield.

Unfortunately, my own son is not yet grown up and cannot shoulder the heavy responsibility of the country.

Otherwise, he could abdicate and focus on being the General Who Conquers the North.

"Your Majesty!" Ma Jing, standing beside him, said with a grave expression, lowering his voice again to earnestly advise, "The Tibetan mountains are high and the roads are treacherous, the enemy situation is unclear, and raids from beyond the camp are extremely dangerous."

"You are the emperor, the world rests on your shoulders, you should not personally risk such danger!"

"This humble general is willing to lead the army in a surprise attack on behalf of Your Majesty, and will certainly not fail in his mission!"

See, this is the downside of being an emperor.

If he were only a general in charge of the northern expedition, his subordinates would certainly not have offered such advice. Instead, their morale would have been greatly boosted by the fact that their commander-in-chief led by example.

Li Che could only comfort him, saying, "Minister Ma, rest assured, the strategy for this battle is what I have in mind, and I am the one who knows the key points best."

"Operating deep behind enemy lines requires adaptability, but it also necessitates never forgetting the objective. If I am not on the front lines, how can I perceive the changing situation of the battle in the first instance?"

"The situation in the air is constantly changing. By the time the news reaches Lanzhou and the order is sent back, it will be too late."

Li Che had no desire to be a micro-management master; he didn't believe he had that ability.

He dared not issue any orders without personally going to the front lines.

Ma Jing said urgently, "But..."

“No buts.” Li Che interrupted him, his tone not stern, but unquestionable.

"Minister Ma, your responsibilities are equally heavy. You are needed to oversee the front line of defense, and coordinating various routes is also the cornerstone of the overall situation. No one but you can handle these tasks."

"I entrust my back to you; do not refuse any longer."

Ma Jing sighed. The emperor had already said so much, so he had no choice but to bow and agree.

Yue Yun stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said, “Your Majesty, perhaps we can wait a few more days. The 30,000 infantry and cavalry reinforcements led by the Duke of Dingguo are already close to Longyou. After their main force arrives, Your Majesty can then lead the army in a thunderous attack. Wouldn’t that be more secure?”

Li Che shook his head and looked up at the sky: "The key to this battle is to catch the enemy off guard and attack them when they are unprepared."

"The first batch of knives must be swift and ruthless, stabbing into Tibet's most vulnerable spots to disrupt his plans, attract his attention, and cause trouble in his rear, leaving him unable to attend to both ends."

“Once Wang Sanchun’s army has gathered, the Tibetans will be alert and retreat. If we act then, it will become an open and obvious attack, at best killing two birds with one stone, losing the effect of a surprise attack, and it will be difficult to damage their foundation.”

After thinking for a moment, Yue Yun realized that the emperor was right, so she stopped trying to persuade him.

As Li Che's old subordinate, he naturally understood His Majesty better than Ma Jing.

Your Majesty's control over the battle situation is no less than that of any general in the Fengtian Army. Although this battle is dangerous, it will definitely not be difficult for Your Majesty.

Li Che's expression turned serious as he looked at his generals: "Gentlemen! The main objective of this battle is to destroy their grain supplies, cut off their resupply, and burn their pastures!"

"Let those Tibetans know what a terrible price they have to pay for raiding the borders of Daqing."

"Let them look back on their hometown with fear, and let their people taste the pain of our border dwellers!"

"I will travel with you all!"

The generals were moved and roared in unison, "Long live the Emperor!"

There was no grand flag-raising ceremony, nor any deafening drumming and music.

The next day, before dawn, each battalion quietly left the Lanzhou camp in batches according to the pre-arranged plan.

Like a stream seeping into arid land, it disappears between the mountain passes leading from Longyou to Tibet.